Bazaar Group's Northumberland base and the new Wave sofa from its just-launched Ayla brand"We're probably the biggest furniture manufacturer you've never heard of," says Mark Dolder, md of a North East seating company launching into the retail market with the introduction of the Ayla brand this week.

B&S Upholstery's Hastings factoryHastings sofa maker B&S Upholstery is to be liquidated a little over a year after it emerged from the embers of what was once one of Britain's busiest upholstery factories.

Sofology is introducing 30 new ranges this yearUpholstery chain Sofology has further reshaped its management team with one of the industry's best-known buyers returning to the business in a more senior role.

Beds and furniture group Airsprung has invested £250,000 acquiring new machinery for its Cavendish Upholstery and Swanglen business units, underscoring its commitment to the upholstery and headboard sectors.

The Santeramo-in-Colle company celebrates 60 years in 2019Italian upholstery giant Natuzzi will roll out more dedicated Natuzzi Editions stores in Britain by the spring as it follows the launch of the first two units here on Boxing Day.

Wesley Barrell changed hands in 2014The Birmingham showroom of premium upholstery maker and retailer Wesley Barrell has closed a little over a year after it opened, while others in its network are to shut and reopen in nearby units.

In 2018, Chinese upholstery imports have been in decline. Until nowRetailers upped stocks of foreign-made upholstery at the beginning of the peak trading quarter with a first rise in sofa shipments from China in the entire year so far.

Sofa.com's Edinburgh showroomUpholstery vertical Sofa.com booked a consolidated net loss of £38.4 million in the period leading up its change of ownership this summer, largely the result of management writing down the carrying value of its assets.

Natuzzi is adding new retail space while rationalising its concessionsItalian sofa maker Natuzzi has chosen Cardiff for its first Natuzzi Editions showroom in Europe. It will open alongside a number of new Natuzzi Italia branded stores across the UK within the next few weeks.

UK sofa market becoming more concentratedBritain's three largest supply groups increased their share of a declining upholstery market last year and were responsible for more than one in every six sofas sold in the UK by value.

ScS' 16-week comp has weakened compared with 12-week figure given last monthScS, the UK's number two sofa retailer, will tell shareholders at its AGM later today that core written orders remain ahead of year-earlier trade but that growth has slowed in the past month.

A hoped-for rescue of adjustable furniture maker AJ Way & Co has fallen through leaving the High Wycombe business facing an end to more than 80 years of trading. It was placed into administration last Thursday.

TCM Corp acquired Alexander & James owner DM Midlands in 2016, having bought Alstons the year before. Its Q3 figures include all its UK sofa businesses combined.The Thai owner of sofa makers Alstons and Ashley Manor has reported lower third quarter sales for its combined UK sofa business unit but wider margins, leading to improved profits.

Italian sofa imports have grown strongly since AprilThe turnaround in Italian sofa imports gathered pace in September with the value of goods from the country rising by a third, countering weak figures from elsewhere including China.

The Branded Furniture Company — a collaboration between Britain's largest management-owned sofa maker and designers who have imagined furniture for the likes of Next and Argos — is bringing Orla Kiely furniture to market in January.

Sofa.com has opened concessions in House of Fraser storesUpholstery retailer Sofa.com has opened concessions in a handful of House of Fraser stores as part of a plan to expand its retail footprint. Its arrival comes as ScS, which operates 27 HoF concessions, departs.

The concessions will close early next yearScS is to end its partnership with House of Fraser and close all 27 of the concessions it operates within the department store chain with CEO David Knight saying the tie-up is "no longer beneficial."

Chateau d"Ax sells through hundreds of monobrand franchised stores worldwideChateau d'Ax, the storied Italian sofa brand with a global footprint, is planning to restructure through an insolvency process that gives it time to reorganise its liabilities in agreement with creditors.

DFS said it expects suppliers to increase the near-shore supply of raw materials ahead of BrexitBritish sofa makers are weighing whether to increase raw material inventories to avoid potential production delays when the UK leaves the European Union next March.

Its Vietnamese plant will be more than double its existing sizeMan Wah Holdings has begun constructing a huge extension at its newly-acquired Vietnamese upholstery subsidiary that will see recliner production snowball by the end of next year.

Clarke & Clarke has diversified into furniture and other home categoriesEntering the finished furniture sector boosted sales for Clarke & Clarke, best known for its furnishings fabrics and wallpapers, in the six months to end July.